Life As We Know It
by evilsregal
Summary: One disastrous blind date three years ago was more than enough for Regina and Robin, who never seem to get along. But after an accident involving their best friends, they're left with a baby to look after. The problem? They have to look after her together. What could possible go wrong? Rating subject to change. OutlawQueen.


_**A/N: **So, I was tossing a few ideas around for some AU's, and this one just popped in to my head. It's based on the movie staring Katherine Hiegl and Josh Duhamel, and it will be Outlaw Queen endgame. I'm a little better at grasping Regina's character than Robin's, so forgive me if he seems a little off, or if his parts are considerably smaller than Regina's. _

_**A/N2**: I'm taking prompts for one-shots as well, so if you'd like to give me a prompt, you can do so via PM-ing me, or reviewing. They can be AU based or canon based, and you can also leave requests for anything to do with this story as well. _

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own Once Upon A Time or the characters from it. _

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><p><em><strong>PROLOGUE<strong>_

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><p><em>'He's late,'<em> she thinks. First impressions are everything, and he's an hour late. Flipping mindlessly through a magazine she's already read twice before, Regina can't help but wonder why she even agreed to this. Blind dates were not her thing. Dating, period, was not her thing. She should have told Kathryn,_ 'no'_. Should have been adamant that she's got too much to do and she needs to focus on her career rather than wonder whether the guy she's dating thinks she's pretty. Though, in her defence, her friend's been hounding her for a good two months. Could she really be blamed for giving in when all she'd hear for days on end was _'You should get out more, Regina' _and _'Give him a chance, Regina' _and _'I think you two will really hit it off, Regina' _? It was nauseating… the only thing that would shut Kathryn up was a reluctant _'fine'_ tossed over her shoulder as she was leaving after dinner. Honestly though, she wasn't looking forward to tonight. And his being late certainly didn't help.

There's a knock on her door just after seven, a good sixty-three minutes after he was supposed to knock originally, and she's already in a bad mood. But there's nothing she can do about it now, he's already here and if she had cancelled an hour earlier, she'd never hear the end of it. A heavy sigh breathes past her lips as she glances in the mirror and one hand runs through her hair. A few strands had fallen out of the bun she'd painstakingly forced her hair in to and, at the last minute, she tugged it free and let it fall, brushing just below her shoulders in waves. It's a little messy, but the kind of messy that implies a sex appeal she's not entirely comfortable portraying on a blind first date. _'Oh well,'_ she thinks. _'I doubt it's going to go far anyway.' _

He's not at all what she expected, that she can tell from the moment she opens her door. For one thing, she feels ridiculously overdressed, considering he's in a pair of dark wash jeans and a leather jacket. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he couldn't look more casual and laid back - something she definitely didn't expect from a friend of Fredrick. And he certainly didn't look like he cared about the time. Oh sure, he's attractive. She'll give him that. He's got a pair of the bluest eyes she's ever seen and a jaw she thinks might be chiselled, were it not for the stubble that adjourns it. Very subtly, or what she hopes is subtle, she glances him over and determines that yes, he is very, very attractive. He's taller than her, even in her heels, and whilst lean, built with muscle that she can see as he moves his hands from his pockets and crosses his arms over his chest. When her eyes rise, he's grinning at her and that's when she notices the dimples. _'Fuck,'_ she swears mentally, because what would ordinarily seem adorable on a child is even worse on him and she has a feeling that he knows it.

Regina smiles back, albeit tightly and simply because it's the polite thing to do. Because no matter how attractive he is, she's still annoyed at his tardiness. They'd have finished their entrée and be half-way through their dinner by now, had he been on time. And Regina is unbelievably hungry, the small growl in her stomach a testament to that. He seems to notice too, because his gaze falls to her stomach and she shifts uncomfortably as he glances back up with a sheepish smile that, were she not already in a bad mood, she'd have probably found charming. "My apologies… am I late?"

She blinks at his voice, at the accent that comes along with it and damn, Kathryn didn't tell her he was British. She swallows, before realising he'd actually asked her a question and once she remembers what it was, it takes everything in her not to scowl. "Just an hour," and she's surprised she manages to pass it off as nothing, because he's managed to annoy her yet again by asking a question with an obvious answer. At least he apologised… kind of. Shrugging it off, Regina stepped out and tugged her door closed behind her, clutch in hand and he steps back, moves his hands back to his pockets and she mentally draws yet another strike against him.

The pros and cons list of every guy she's ever dated after high school is something Kathryn has been trying to get her out of for years. But it's just easier this way, striking either side when she finds something about the guy she's supposed to share wine with that she either likes, or doesn't like. And this guy, the guy who's yet to give her his name, already has three strikes against… one for being late, another for not introducing himself, and the third, again, for being late… because she's in a bitter, spiteful mood and damn it, it's her head, she can double strike if she wants to.

Not wanting to refer to him as anything but his name, Regina passed her clutch from one hand to the other and offered the one now free, a small, tight smile gracing her lips as she introduces herself first. "Regina." And he's grinning again, something she's not sure she finds cute or annoying, before grasping her hand with his and,

"Robin."

Well, Robin… _'It suits him,'_ she thinks. Almost as soon as he shakes her hand, he withdraws, shoves both back in his pockets again, and she almost scowls. This is not going well, and she'll be telling Kathryn exactly that come tomorrow morning when the blonde calls asking for every minuscule detail Regina feels willing to share, and Regina thinks she'll be sharing everything just to make her feel bad, or guilty, or whatever. _'Serves her right,' _she mutters to herself breathlessly as Robin gestures to the path leading towards the sidewalk and covers her mutters with a "Shall we?"

Regina smiles, nods her head and moves to step forward but he's quicker, and walks ahead of her. She's glaring at his back as she strikes another tally against him and follows, minding her tongue and searching for something to say that won't sound like she's being the biggest bitch on the planet. "So… how'd you meet Fredrick?" Yeah. That'll work.

He shrugs as he walks, slows down enough for her to catch up beside him and he's still got his damn hands in his pockets. "We went to school together," he explains nonchalantly, and she breathes silent relief. At least he's educated… that's a strike for. And then he continues, and she almost stops mid-step. "I moved from the UK in… ninth, grade? Might've been eighth. But he showed me around and we've been friends ever since, even though I dropped out before graduation and he went to Washington State." High school drop-out…. Great. She's not entirely sure what to say that won't sound condescending, so she says nothing instead and glances at the pavement, but he barely notices because now he's asking her about Kathryn and she smiles, a genuine smile, perhaps the first one he's ever seen. "We were practically raised together." It's not a lie. Their mothers ran in the same circles, which meant naturally, so did they. They've been best friends since they were in diapers and Kathryn's more Regina's sister than her own sister is. Her nose crinkles at the thought of Cora and Zelena, but he doesn't notice that either as he's far to focused on climbing on to what Regina would otherwise consider a death trap. "Uhm?"

He's tossing her the helmet hanging off the handles and she only just catches it, has to quickly switch her clutch from her hand to under her arm in order to do so and she looks from him, to it, and back against with a brow raised and confusion in her eyes. Surely, he doesn't expect her to get on that thing? "Do you like it? She'll get us from here to the restaurant in no time…" And yes, he does expect her to get on it, and she blinks in utter shock.

Has he not noticed what she's wearing? If the six inch heels weren't going to be problem number one, nor the dress that she'd had to hold her breath in order to get in to, than how about the fact that she's deathly afraid of transportation with less than four wheels and no push pedals? There's no way in hell she's getting on that thing, and this time, she's not biting her tongue.

"You're kidding, right?"

Robin frowns, turns the key and let's the thing roar to life before shifting forward, leaving room behind her and he smirks. "Scared?" he taunts, but she doesn't hear the playfulness in his tone, and she glares at him, tosses the helmet back and she's mildly disappointed that he caught it in time. "Hardly," she lies. "But do you seriously expect me to be able to get on that thing?" She gestures to her body, to the black leather dress that ends just above her knees and she regrets doing that, because it's almost an open invitation to check her out… and she really regrets doing that when he doesn't, he just stares at her blankly and she rolls her eyes, grabs her clutch from under her arm and springs it open, searches for her keys before finding them hidden under her phone. Tugging them free, she presses the automatic lock over her shoulder, to the Mercedes she knows is parked behind her. "I'll drive."

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><p>He really didn't want to be here. That why he was so late, something that he regrets the moment the front door opens and he sees her. She's stunning, with dark hair he'd love to run his fingers through and even darker eyes he could easily get lost in. He's almost surprised he didn't notice how long her legs look until she'd stepped outside. Robin can tell she's annoyed, that she's probably been waiting for a while and he does feel guilty, if only a little. It's not like he wanted this, no matter how beautiful he thinks she is. He'd have been perfectly fine spending his Friday night with the boys at the bar or at home watching the movies he'd rented last week and forgot to take back.<p>

But Fredrick's been on his case lately about settling down, about finding someone and that he thinks he knows the perfect woman and would he just give it a shot, what's the harm in one date? Of course, Robin had given in. Had conceded purely because Fredrick was his first friend in this country and how could he possibly say no to him more than six hundred times?

_'She's great, Robin. Practically Kathryn's sister. You'll love her.' _

Love… yeah, right. He'd scoffed at that, but muttered a resigned_ 'fine'_, to which his best mate of some fifteen odd years had grinned at. He should've asked for her name though, because he knew he'd looked like an idiot just standing there and it didn't even occur to him to introduce himself until she'd done it for him. _'Regina,'_ she'd breathed, and he'd turned the name over and over again in his head, not realising he could be attracted to the name perhaps more than the person.

Honestly, he'd thought the bike a good idea at first. Just in case the woman he'd been set up with ended up being someone he'd rather not date, maybe he could scare her off with the '96 Harley he'd spent a small fortune on restoring. Except he kind of wants to date her, and he's a little relieved that she'd offered to drive. Or, he would be, had she not looked at his pride and joy like it belonged in the trash. He moves his gaze from her to the car behind her and almost chokes on his own saliva. The car alone costs more than he makes in a year and damn, he should've realised she'd be loaded. She's Kathryn's friend, after all. And Kathryn's got more money than she knows what to do with.

Scowling, both because he has to leave his bike behind and because he's decided she's one of those heiress types, the kind who relies on daddy's money to get her through life, he twists his keys and the roaring stops. Robin's sulking by the time he climbs in to her car, pouts even further as he realises the interior is leather and probably just as expensive as the exterior and he really, really doesn't belong in here. He's in such a bad mood now that when she clicks her seat belt in to place and asks him about the reservations, to which he stares blankly at her and she sighs, _'You forgot to make them, didn't you?'_, it takes every ounce of his self control not to glare at her. She doesn't even notice, mumbling about getting them in to _'Nightingale' _and he scoffs, because _'Nightingale'_ is new and expensive and five star, and Robin can't afford a restaurant like that.

Robin glances at her when he realises she's looking at him, brow raised and jaw clenched and he can tell already that he's pissed her off… again. "What?" He didn't mean to snap at her, just because he's currently out of work and she's a damn trust fund baby, but the look she's giving him is something he'd associate with disapproval, like she's looking down on him. _( Physically impossible, because with the heels she wears, she's still a good inch shorter than Robin. He can only imagine how short she is without them. ) _

"Have you never been to _'Nightingale'_?" she asks, as if he's ever supposed to have been there and he looks at her with disbelief, sarcasm bleeding in to every word he forces through his teeth. "Oh yeah, every night since it opened." She stares at him, waiting for him to continue because, and god help him, she actually thinks he's being serious. "I can't afford a place like that…" he really should've stopped there, but he's already in a bitter mood, one he notes, matched her own less than ten minutes ago. "- not that you'd understand."

Yeah… He really should've stopped.

Her eyes narrow at him and he blinks at the dark look in her eye, something that's so intense and almost dangerous that he holds his breath as she hisses, "Excuse me?" His own blue hues flicker to her hands on the steering wheel, knuckles white as she grips it tightly and he doesn't even realise he's speaking until he's finished. "You're loaded, right? Probably haven't worked a day in your life." Immediately, he regrets it. Because he doesn't know a thing about her and he really hates making assumptions, but damn it if she doesn't make him all tongue-tied and nervous. But she's glaring at him now, hatefully, he thinks, and he cringes. _'Well done, Robin.' _He berates himself mentally as she takes a moment to compose herself, and then cringes again when she growls at him to _'get the hell out of her car, now.'_

Needless to say, he highly doubts there'll be a second date.

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><p>They don't talk to each other much. Not after that disastrous first date over three years ago. But Kathryn's Regina's best friend and Kathryn's husband is Robin's, so when they announce they're pregnant and that they want the two of them to be their unborn daughter or son's godparents, it's not that big of a surprise. Regina does her best to ignore him, and he in turn annoys her every chance he gets. It's not Robin's fault, not really. It's that ridiculous idea from middle school that when you like a girl, you have to pick on them. It was law back then, and he feels like a child around her anyway.<p>

Either way, it doesn't matter much. She doesn't look at him unless it's with a scathing glare and they don't have to spend much time together anyway. Regina's always with Kathryn, even more so during the blonde's pregnancy, but they're paths barely cross regardless. Even after the baby was born, a little girl with pale green eyes and pink, rosy cheeks. Regina and Robin were only ever in the same room a total of three times. When Abigail was born, during the Christening, and for the little girl's first birthday.

Both were content with never seeing the other again.

Fate, not so much.

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><p><em><strong>AN3**:_ _Oh! I'm also looking for a BETA Reader as well, and someone to help out later on when the story reaches sexy time level. Let me know if you're interested._


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